KIIS FM staff are reportedly furious after being informed of the axing of The Kyle & Jackie O Show, an hour after former host Kyle Sandilands’ termination announcement.
The shock jock, 54, released a statement at 7am on Wednesday morning announcing that KIIS’ parent company Australian Radio Network had terminated his 10-year, $100 million contract.
Just an hour after Sandilands’ bombshell statement, news.com.au reported that ARN chief executive Michael Stephenson sent an email to staff announcing that The Kyle & Jackie O Show had been axed.
‘This morning, ARN announced that it has issued a notice of termination of contract with Kyle and Quasar Media,’ the email read.
‘As a result ARN will no longer present the Kyle and Jackie O Show.’
It was also revealed that Mike E would continue to helm the breakfast music show.
KIIS FM staff are reportedly furious after being informed of the axing of The Kyle & Jackie O Show, an hour after former host Kyle Sandilands’ termination announcement
The shock jock, 54, released a statement at 7am on Wednesday morning announcing that KIIS’ parent company Australian Radio Network had terminated his 10-year, $100 million contract
The publication also reported that prior to the announcement of the show’s axing, staff were sent another email directing them not to speak directly to the media.
News of the show’s axing has sent shockwaves through KIIS staff, with the publication reporting that not all show staff are directly employed by ARN, but instead through Sandilands’ company, King Kyle
An insider told the publication that staff were worried for their futures and angry at how the situation was handled.
‘Many staff found out through social media instead of an official statement. It wasn’t until after the news broke that staff were advised officially,’ the insider said.
‘I am just so angry about how it has all been handled.’
They added: ‘It’s not how the situation should be handled, especially when the team that worked on that show are still showing up every day to work.’
Daily Mail reached out to ARN, who declined to comment.
ARN announced last month that Henderson’s $100million contract had been terminated after she told executives she ‘cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands’ following his harsh on–air comments that left her in tears.
Just an hour after Sandilands’ bombshell statement, news.com.au reported that ARN chief executive Michael Stephenson sent an email to staff announcing that The Kyle & Jackie O Show had been axed
‘Many staff found out through social media instead of an official statement. It wasn’t until after the news broke that staff were advised officially,’ an insider told the publication. ‘I am just so angry about how it has all been handled’
They also provided written notice to Sandilands stating it considers his behaviour during the show on February 20 to be ‘an act of serious misconduct which is in breach of ARN’s service agreement with Quasar Media’.
Sandilands was given a 14-day suspension during which he was required to ‘remedy the breach.’
That deadline passed on Tuesday night and ARN revealed Sandilands’ fate on Wednesday morning.
In an explosive statement obtained by Daily Mail on Wednesday morning, the 54-year-old admitted he doesn’t ‘accept’ the fate of his role at the network.
He also confirmed the matter will now be in the hands of his lawyers.
‘ARN has just announced that they’ve terminated my contract,’ he said.
‘I don’t accept it. My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is.’
They added: ‘It’s not how the situation should be handled, especially when the team that worked on that show are still showing up every day to work’
Sandilands continued: ‘Let me tell you what actually happened here. Jackie and I had a blue on air. That’s it. The kind of thing we’ve done a hundred times in 25 years.
‘And ARN took the situation and decided to try and burn the place down.’
Continuing, Sandilands doubled down on a previous claim that he had been ‘muzzled’ by the network.
‘They sacked Jackie. They suspended me. They wouldn’t even let me pick up the phone to call her or anyone else on the show,’ he said.
‘Then – and this is the bit that gets me – once they’d made it impossible for the show to go on, they turn around and say, ‘You didn’t fix it. You’re fired!”
